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Characters Tropes
Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. If used correctly, they help move the narrative along, because the author has less to explain. Badly used and it can become a "Cliché". For example, if you want to show your character is smart, show him playing chess. Everybody knows smart people play chess ! If you want to show that the next character that just entered is smarter than the one before, have her just glace over his shouder and solve the game he has been struggling with. This way you can show instead of tell , which always enhance the narrative. Badly used it becomes a Cliché , an element that has been overused to the point of loosing it's original meaning or it's effect. In colloquial use, it refers to something that is expected or easily predicted. They are often used for comic effect. Main Characters' Tropes Elena Gilbert Stefan Salvatore Damon Salvatore Jeremy Gilbert *Cartwright Curse - all previous love interests have died or been undead. *Jeremy is introduced as the Annoying Younger Sibling, but he gets better. *Like Elena he suffered from Parental Abandonment . *Sometimes writers remember that he is supposed to be the The Stoner . Most often, they forget. *Has been Back from the Dead - at least four times. *Of course he is protected by Contractual Immortality and the Gilbert Ring. *It could be that he Came Back Wrong, because since he died in season two he can see ghosts . But then, if he keeps using the Ring to come back to life, he could come back way "wronger" - like Alaric. *The Hunter's Mark is his Power Tattoo - it lets everybody know that he is going through a Marked Change . He may even get special powers (like lifting beer kegs) - and a compulsion to kill his sister (and all his vampire friends). Jenna Sommers *Jenna was promoted to parent when both Miranda and Grayson died in the car crash, leaving Elena and Jeremy orphans. *She is Miranda's younger sister, and would rather be a Cool Older Sis to Elena, than her adoptive parent. Bonnie Bennett *Bonnie went through an Adaptation Race Lift, as the character was Scottish in the books. To follow TV quotas she is the Token Minority and is Elena's African-American Best Friend. *She is also very much the Magic Mystic African American: like most witches in the series, she seems to do her magic work to help the series protagonists instead of her own objectives. *Whenever she abuses her magic powers, she gets Psychic Nosebleed. During cases where the spell is not complete even after said nosebleed, she ends up using her own life force to power the spell . *Like many characters in the show, she suffers from Parental Abandonment: her mother left home when she was just 5 years old and she was raised by a frequently absent father. Caroline Forbes *A Day in the Limelight - After she is turned into a vampire, the episode "Brave New World " centers around her transition. *Cold-blooded Torture - Brady does this to Caroline in the episode "Daddy Issues". *Adaptation Dye Job - the Caroline from the novels is a brunette, while in the television show she is blonde. *Moral Dissonance- She willingly kills 12 innocent witches who were tricked into thinking they were helping Bonnie remove expression. *What the Hell, Hero?- Klaus even calls her out on her murder of 12 witches to save Bonnie, even though Bonnie was corrupted. Matt Donovan *Elena's former boyfriend, hasn't given up hope yet - which makes him a Dogged Nice Guy . *He is pretty much a Generic Guy , with no special qualities - except being human . *Of course, he just wants his beloved to be happy , so he forgives Elena for ditching him and tries to be friends with Stefan. *His life sucks most of the times: We don't even know if he knew his father ; his mother is an Alcoholic who left him for a boyfriend in Florida; his sister Vicki was a drug addict who got turned into a Vampire by Damon because he was bored then staked by Stefan. Ah, and Vicki came back as a ghost. She was persuaded by Esther to try and kill Elena! *Like most of the main cast, he even died once, but he was revived. *By season 4 he is the only one in the cast member to remain human, so he is the Token Human , which in this case is also a Token Minority. * He's Rebekah's Morality Pet. * With April and Meredith he is part of Team Normal - the humans without powers that help the super-powered heroes. Vicki Donovan *Vicki was introduced as The Stoner - we are given the impression she is the one facilitating drugs to Jeremy in Season 1. *Vicki was killed in the seventh episode - a typical 7th Episode Twist! Whenever there is a new series, this is the point when the Exposition stops and the real plot begins. On later seasons, that is also a good point to introduce a plot twist, raise the stakes or change the game. *She was billed as a main character, yet she was Killed Off for Real. *This was important to show the audience that Anyone Can Die. *It is possible she was also a Sacrificial Lamb - a character created only to be killed soon, to make the point that Anyone Can Die. *We hardly knew her... Tyler Lockwood *Abusive Parents - Richard Lockwood. *And I Must Scream - Before being turned into a hybrid by Klaus, Tyler had to change into a werewolf each full moon after triggering the curse. The process initially took hours to complete its excruciating transtion. Also can be said for what he needed to do to break the sire bond to Klaus. *He is introduced as a Jerk Jock, with a VERY short temper. *Freudian Excuse: In Season 1 we believed his behaviour was due to his very agressive father. *But in season 2 we learn it's because of Lycantropy - He is a latent Werewolf. *Like many Involuntary Shapeshifters , his transformation into werewolf are VERY PAINFUL. *Mr Fanservice - winds up naked after transforming back from werewolf. Unlike Hulk he does not have Magic Pants. *By the end of Season 2 he has morphed into a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. *In We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street, when all the hybrids submit to him as their Alpha, it was his Awesome Moment of Crowning. *By coincidence, that was also his Crowning Moment of Awesome! Katherine Pierce *A Day in the Limelight - has an episode named after her, plus frequent flashbacks into her origins. *Briarpatching - Katherine uses this technique on Damon when she tells him not to dagger Elijah as she would be stuck in the tomb forever. *Magnificant Bastard - "Plan B " *She fits the Light Feminine And Dark Feminine trope, especially with Elena. Elena and Katherine are both doppelgängers who share an uncanny physical appearance. Elena is the Light Feminine (good, moral) and Katherine is Dark Feminine (bad, immoral). This causes them to clash alot. *She went through an Adaptation Dye-job as in the books, Katherine is blonde. Niklaus Mikaelson *Chronic Backstabbing Disorder - 'nuff said *The Casanova - Aurora, Katerina (a little), Caroline and, most recently, Camille. *All Love is Unrequited - Caroline. Despite his attempts to woo her, and the fact that she knows he's in love with her, she is in love with Tyler and keeps refusing his advances. Still has chance to be averted, though is increasingly unlikely given the time he has left in Mystic Falls. See also Sympathy for the Devil . *A Day in the Limelight - Has an episode named after him. Due to his nature at the time, it also classifies as a Villain Episode . *Actually fits the Evil Brit accent trope - as the only character on the show with a British accent, this has not been averted nor inverted. *Monster Sob Story - Due to an illegitimate birth, his step-father Mikael is unjustly more volatile towards him. See Abusive Parents . See also Cry for the Devil . *Magnificent Bastard - Averted due to Villainous Breakdown *And I Must Scream - Shared with family. However, instead of being daggered, Klaus must literally be chained and desiccated. When Alaric was turned into a vampire/vampire hunter, Klaus could do nothing to prevent Alaric from staking his desiccated body with the white oak stake . Recurring Characters Elijah Mikaelson *All Love is Unrequited - Katerina (Katherine). This leads to him not believing in it. *A Day in the Limelight - frequent flashbacks that focus on his history and his family's. *Anti-Villain - Due to his high sense of morality, Elijah is very much the anti-villain during Season 2 and 3. *And I Must Scream - Shared with family. When an Original is daggered, it leads to immediate desiccation. Also when the daggers are removed, the awakening is rather painful as well. Rebekah Mikaelson *Rebekah is a no holds barred Alpha Bitch ! *Like Klaus, she is proof that Blonds are Evil : she is aggressive, spiteful and vindictive. *She is a Femme Fatale : beautiful, free spirited and manipulative. *I hate you, Vampire Dad - With good reason: it was her own biological father who turned her into a Vampire... then decided it was an evil he had to eliminate from the surface of Earth. *Despite her youthful appearance, she is really 1000 years old . *Her own mother, Esther, possessed her body in Season Three. *Suffers from Chronic Backstabbing Disorder - on the receiving end. Both metaphorically and literally. *Although she looks like the Dumb Blond, she actually has Hidden Depths . Although externally she is an Alpha Bitch , she is deeply hurt by being betrayed so many times. Deep down she just wants to be a normal girl and go to a dance without being stabbed in the back or poisoned. *With all that has happened to her, it turns out she has a very good reason to destroy EVERYTHING ! *To save herself, her brothers and the entire vampire race, she did what she had to do , and killed Elena. *A Day in the Limelight - frequent flashbacks that focus on her history and her family's. *And I Must Scream - Shared with family. When an Original is daggered, it leads to immediate desiccation. Also when the daggers are removed, the awakening is rather painful as well. Kol Mikaelson *And I Must Scream - Shared with family. When an Original is daggered, it leads to immediate desiccation. Also when the daggers are removed, the awakening is rather painful as well. Finn Mikaelson *And I Must Scream - Shared with family. When an Original is daggered, it leads to immediate desiccation. Also when the daggers are removed, the awakening is rather painful as well. External links * TV Tropes See also Category:Tropes Category:Lists Category:Characters Category:Other